Month: June 2024 (Page 2 of 3)

In Isaiah 42:10-17 we are urged to celebrate all things being made new by singing a new song .  God is depicted as a warrior in this new song.  He is the warrior who causes all things to become new through his refining warfare.  “The Lord will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal” (Isaiah 42:13).  God is first called a warrior in Exodus 15:3-4, where he rescued his helpless people by destroying the chariots of Egypt.  “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.  Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea” (Ex. 15:3-4).  When God comes as warrior there is no uncertainty about the outcome.  

Psalm 24:8 asks, “Who is this King of glory?”   The answer: “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”  The people of Israel were told that God would fight for them.  “‘Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still'” (Ex. 13:14-15).  When Joshua was bidding  farewell to the Israelites, he reminded them, “It was the Lord your God who fought for you” (Joshua 23:3). When the people of God were rebuilding the city walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah told them, “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there.  Our God will fight for us!” (Neh. 4:20).  

Revelation depicts Jesus as a warrior.  “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.  With justice he judges and makes war.”  But king Jesus is also portrayed as the Lamb of God.  In a counterintuitive declaration, Revelation declares, “They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers” (Rev. 17:14). 

The Lord is depicted in this new song as being aroused from silence: “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back.  But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant” (Is. 42:14). The ESV Study Bible notes, “As a woman cries out after finally going into labor, God at the time he knows is best, will exert himself to bring his purpose to fulfillment.”  Nothing in creation will stand in his way (v. 15).  

God will deliver his people.  “But I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going.  I’ll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country.  I’ll be right there to show them what road to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch.  These are the things I’ll be doing for them – sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute” (Is. 42:16 – Message). 

Men, it might seem like God is silent.  But in his time he will act with zeal.  God will lead the blind, while turning the darkness into light, making the rough places level.  Jesus, the mighty warrior is also the Lamb of God, who defeated evil on the cross.  His enemies will one day cry out, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand” (Rev 6:16).  But we will overcome,  “by the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 12:11) and by the word of our testimony.  

This is the title of Taylor Swift’s latest album.  I read a revealing article in First Things by Isabella Clarke,  entitled, “On Tortured Poets, Taylor Swift Dreams of Marriage.”  I have never listened to Taylor Swift’s music, but I am very aware of her worldwide influence as a pop singer.  What I find interesting in Clarke’s review is  Swift’s desire for marriage.  Clarke notes, “Despite its increasing fragility and lack of permanence in the modern West, Swift still desires marriage, which she invokes as the ultimate symbol of enduring love and commitment.”  Swift, who is thirty-four, seems to be giving a voice to many women in their thirties.  “The ‘waste’ of youth is inherently more cutting for women than for men.”  

Swift views her new Album as “female rage, the musical.”  Clarke observes, “She increasingly gives voice to her anger at the inability of men to match her desire to pledge lifelong loyalty … In Swift’s world, it isn’t her career that gets in the way of marriage, but the men who made grand declarations only to ‘ghost’ her when things get too real.  These experiences make Swift’s songs relatable to many younger women.  ‘Ghosting,’ the Peter Pan syndrome, and men who want “long term, distance, low commitment, casual” girlfriends are common in today’s modern dating scene.”

In The Prophecy, which the reviewer sees as the most poignant track on the album, Swift turns her eyes upward and begs an unspecified higher power to change her fate:  “A greater woman wouldn’t beg / But I looked to the sky and said / Please I’ve been on my knees / Change the prophecy / Don’t want money / Just someone who wants my company.”  “This album,” suggests Clarke, “reveals that even individuals as powerful and successful as the Taylor Swift can desire the validation of marriage.”  Clarke closes her review by saying, “Swift, on Tortured Poets, makes it very clear who she blames for thwarting her dream, namely the men who ‘didn’t measure up / in any measure of a man.’  Perhaps the culture, who raised these men to take women and talk of marriage so lightly, ought also to bear some of the blame.” 

Wow!  This review seems to beg for a reply from an older man, who has been married to the same woman for 59 years.  To me it is a sad testament to our confused culture that a young woman of the stature of Taylor Swift felt the need to be so open and transparent about her apparent desire for permanency with a man.  I find it very telling that inThe Prophecy Swift seems to be calling out for help from heaven.  What do the words “change the prophecy” imply?  My take is that Swift sees little hope except that God would change what could be her future –  one without a fulfilling marriage.

My testimony: Nearly every morning I say to my wife, “Thank you for staying with me for these 59 years.  You are a long suffering woman.”  What is implied in these words?  1) I take no credit for the blessing of 59 years with Judy.  Marriage is a gift from God.  My wife has responded to me in a very godly manner.  For that I am very thankful.   2) My marriage is the greatest gift given to me by the Lord, other than my salvation.  3)  I am truly thankful for Judy’s companionship, support and genuine love.  I don’t deserve this gift.  4) I only pray that I might continue to reflect the love of God through my marriage. 

In days such as ours, a godly marriage can actually be a prophetic statement to a hurting culture.